The Europol and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) report warns “Labelled at one point as the ‘champagne of drugs’ because of its high price and associations with the rich and famous, cocaine snorted in powder form has found acceptance amongst drug users in recreational settings.

• The State has the highest rate of use of new drugs or so-called “legal highs.”

• Polish and Lithuanian gangs are reportedly trafficking drugs from the Netherlands into Ireland.

The findings state Ireland remains a “north west gateway” for cannabis resin into Europe.

“Average seizure sizes greater than 1kg suggest that Ireland is also an entry point for Moroccan resin into Europe,” the report states.

“Resin seizures represent about 15 per cent of estimated national consumption; it is likely that some of the resin entering Ireland eventually ends up in the UK, where the market for resin, although smaller than the market for herb, is still rather large, estimated to be about seven times the size of the Irish market.”

“Chinese nationals have also been reported to grow cannabis commercially in countries including Ireland and the United Kingdom,” the report adds.